The Hoboken rent control referendum was defeated at the polls today handily after attempts at a compromise earlier in the year failed, preliminary tallies from the Hudson County Clerk’s Office show.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The ballot question failed by a roughly 3-to-1 margin – 15,184 to 5,629 – a result that was at least somewhat expected after the vast majority of local electeds came out against the measure.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, 5th Ward Councilman Phil Cohen, as well as Council members-at-Large Emily Jabbour, Jim Doyle, and Joe Quintero were all vocal opponents of the referendum.
“Today, while Hoboken mourns the loss of a true public servant, colleague, friend, and family member, we also recognize an important public victory in our ongoing efforts to preserve housing affordability in our mile square city,” Bhalla said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, recognizing the sudden passing of Council President Jen Giattino.
“I offer my sincere thanks to Hoboken United Tenants for leading an incredible grassroots movement to educate voters on the rent control referendum, and every resident who recognized the critical importance of saving rent control at the ballot box. If we are to learn anything from last night, whether personal, national or local, it is that these core values, such as housing for all, bring us together as a community and make us stronger.”
Additionally, the Hoboken Fair Housing Association, New Jersey Tenants Organization, and The Jersey Journal all urged Mile Square City residents to vote no, with Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon and 32nd Legislative District Assembly candidate Katie Brennan lending their voices to the vote no effort.
If approved, landlords could have raised rents to market rate after any vacancy as long as they pay $2,500/unit, which will go into Hoboken’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Politicos insisted that this would effectively end rent control, while the Mile Square Taxpayers Association and their supporters were steadfast it would actually help create more housing in the long run.
The former was more convincing for most Mile Square City voters and now the MSTA will go back to the drawing board.
The MSTA first unveiled their proposal in March and pressed forward after having petitions deemed to be “defective” in May. Then in August, the council rejected a compromise before changing the phrasing of the referendum statement.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
